Princess Anastasia
by Vicious Pink
Summary: PSII - The always practical Anna Zirski doesn't know what she's in for as she agrees to a night on the town with some of her more rowdy teammates.
1. The Deal

Guardian Anna Zirski deserved a break. Really, her whole team did, but Anna had worked extra hard the past week during the group's exploration of Uzo Island. Her slashers came in handy breaking through the dense overgrowth on the tropical island, and she took it upon herself to hack through as much of it as possible. To top it off, the island's beasts were like none other she had seen on the rest of Motavia. They were larger, tougher and even more clever than their mainland counterparts. When she wasn't slashing through brush, she was slashing through monsters, and right now all Anna wanted to do was unwind on a Friday evening and enjoy her hot shower. Unfortunately, Shir was also in the bathroom primping for a night out.

"Thank goodness Rolf let us have this weekend off, huh?" Shir commented as Anna turned off the shower and reached her hand through a sliver of space between the shower door and the wall to grab a towel from a nearby rack.

"No offense, Shir, but you spend a lot of time in this bathroom. Just once I'd like to shower in peace," Anna griped to her teammate, who was concentrating on putting in a contact lens as she leaned over the bathroom counter. Anna pulled the shower door aside and felt an instant sting of cold air as she stepped onto the bathroom mat.

"Ahh!" Anna shrieked as she instinctively clutched the towel she had wrapped around her. "You had the door open the entire time I was in the shower?" she fussed at Shir, giving her a hard glare.

"Of course," Shir shrugged nonchalantly. "How else was I supposed to keep the mirror from fogging up?" She stood up straight after successfully inserting her contact lens and blinked a few times to secure its placement. She opened her eyes wide and leaned closely into the mirror over the sink, inspecting her new eye color. After a few head tilts and practice "come-hither" glances, she turned around to Anna, who was busy drying her hair.

"So, what do you think?" Shir asked, forcing herself into Anna's personal space and batting her eyes.

Anna frowned. "I think you need to get out of my face," she quipped as she pushed Shir out of the way and went into the adjoining bedroom. She walked over to her dresser and began pulling out undergarments and a clean outfit. Though she had ignored Shir's original question about the weekend, Anna was glad to have some time off. She picked out a tank top and some comfy sweatpants as she thought about relaxing for the next couple of days. Maybe she'd go shopping tomorrow for some new armor, or get her slashers adjusted, or...

"I meant my new eye color, Cranky McSourpuss," grumbled Shir, breaking Anna's train of thought. Anna looked over at her larcenist roommate, who was standing in the bathroom doorway with her hands on her hips.

Anna began to wonder why she tolerated Shir so much. It wasn't as if they were friends or really had any relationship outside of being teammates. In fact, Anna and Shir were on opposite sides of the law, yet for the sake of team unity Anna had to suck in her pride as a guardian and accept Shir the way she was: a thrill-seeking thief and a bit of a spoiled brat, too. She had to admit, though, that Shir had her strong points, such as supplying the team with fake identities, banned weapons and medicine, and she had an incredible knack for intelligence gathering and surveillance. None of that stopped Shir from being annoying, but perhaps it was what made her at least worthy of Anna's tolerance.

Anna sighed as she pulled on her sweatpants and tank top. "Oh, all right," she groaned, "Let's see these new eyes of yours."

Shir's face lit up as she clapped enthusiastically. She happily skipped over to the blonde counter-hunter, shoving her face in Anna's again.

"Geez," Anna flinched, moving her head back, "not so close! How am I supposed to see anything when you're practically making out with me?" She put her hand out to ensure some distance between herself and Shir, then carefully examined her eyes. She noted they were now bright pink rather than their usual blue. They appeared odd to Anna, but she wasn't interested in fashion fads and had no idea what was considered "in" at any given time.

"They're pink," Anna flatly remarked, taking her hand off Shir and turning her attention to putting on a pair of socks.

"Aw, you are no fun, Anna Zirski!" Shir whined as she plopped down on the end of the bed next to Anna. She crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air. "You know, studies have shown that red and pink increase the heart rate, therefore increasing attraction, too."

Anna looked down at Shir's outfit and raised her eyebrows. "You really think anyone's going to care what color your eyes are when you're wearing... _that?_" she asked, waving her hand at Shir's tight, hot pink tube dress. "It looks like you're wearing a thin layer of cling wrap. Where are you going, anyway? Street walking?"

Shir stood up and scoffed, "You sound just like my father. Why don't you live a little? Stop acting like you're over-the-hill!"

"How do you know I'm not already over-the-hill?" Anna asked with a devilish smirk.

Shir rolled her eyes. "You would be the most well-preserved middle-aged woman I've ever met, if that was the case."

"Plastic surgery and cloning can do wonders, you know," Anna continued to antagonize the green-haired socialite.

"Uh-huh," said a skeptical Shir. "Like you would ever do either of those things. Everything about you screams utilitarian, Anna." Suddenly an idea came to Shir. Anna was one of the most attractive women Shir had ever met, yet for all her beauty Anna didn't seem to care much about her appearance other than to stay in good physical shape. Actually, Anna seemed to hate having any attention called to her looks at all. This was partially stupid, considering Anna insisted on wearing a short and clingy athletic dress most of the time. She claimed it was to free up her movements, which was probably true, but was Anna really that naive or was she clever enough to know she could use her sexuality to her advantage as a guardian? Shir wanted to find out if Anna was willing to show a seductive side for a change. She was sure she could transform Anna into the sexiest bombshell Motavia had ever known.

"Hey, I have an idea," Shir sang sweetly to Anna, sitting next to her on the bed. "Kain, Rolf and I are going to a club in Kueri tonight. It'd be great fun if you'd come along with us. What do you say?"

"Are you serious?" Anna threw her head back and laughed at Shir in disbelief. "Why in the world would you want me to tag along? You and I have never hung out before!" Anna let out a snort and scooted her back against the headboard. She picked up a book on the night stand and opened it, deliberately ignoring Shir's continued presence.

"Maybe that's our problem; we haven't gotten to know each other properly. I bet we have more in common than you'd imagine!"

Anna peered at Shir over the top of her book. "Our similarities begin and end with us both being females, Shir. End of discussion."

Shir wasn't ready to give up, though. She already had in her head the idea of turning Anna into her living doll, and she wouldn't take no for an answer. She studied Anna reading-or pretending to read, anyway-as she formulated a plan of action. Brazenly, Shir inched over to Anna and snatched her book away.

"Hey!" Anna shouted, sitting up and reaching for the book.

"Ten-thousand," Shir said as she held the book away from Anna.

"What?" asked a bewildered Anna.

"Ten... thousand... meseta," Shir repeated slowly and emphatically.

Anna could only blink.

Shir sighed. "I will give you ten-thousand to come to the club with us."

"Oh," Anna replied as she thought briefly about that proposition. "There's a catch, right?"

"Of course," said Shir, rising from the bed and tossing the book onto the dresser. She looked at Anna with a twisted grin and told her, "I get to do your hair and makeup and pick your outfit."

"No deal," Anna quickly decided, getting up and crossing the room to go to the kitchen.

"_Fifteen-_thousand," Shir immediately offered. Anna stopped in her tracks and shook her head.

"You are too much, you know..."

"_Twenty_-thousand," Shir interrupted.

This time Anna pondered that much money. It was almost enough money to buy a completely new set of armor _and _slashers.

"Twenty-five," Anna counter-offered, "and you're not allowed to do anything ridiculous, like put clown makeup on me or dress me up like a Motavian!"

"Done," Shir accepted without hesitation. "Let the makeover session begin!" She rubbed her hands together enthusiastically. There was a twinkle in her eyes that scared Anna a bit.

Anna took a deep breath and chanted in her head: _New slashers. I'm getting new slashers. Must remember that._


	2. The Reveal

Even though the section of Paseo where Rolf lived was under domes, Rudo still enjoyed being outside. He set up a hammock between two poles in Rolf's back yard and was quite comfortable in the warm night air, tucked away in the hammock and entertained by a boxing match he had tuned into on his mobile device. There was a nice breeze, however fabricated it might be, and Rudo had to admit that though the climate was not natural, it was convincingly realistic.

"Aw, son of a-!" Rudo cursed as he watched his pick for the fight take a direct cut to the jaw, violently whipping the boxer's head and body backward. The fighter began to sway as he struggled to regain his composure. His challenger took more swings, each of them connecting successfully, causing the other boxer finally to drop to his knees. "Get up! Come on, you're costing me major..."

"Hey, old man," Shir called to Rudo as the glass door to the back yard slid open and she stepped onto the back porch. "Got a sec?"

Rudo grumbled something unintelligible and shut off his mobile. "I do now, thanks to that..." he stopped as he set his mobile device down and got a good look at Shir. "What in all of Algol are you wearing? Or, I should ask, where's the rest of it?"

Shir rolled her eyes. "Has it really been that long since you've been to a club?"

Rudo could only laugh. If Shir's bizarre choice of dress had anything to do with his lack of night club exposure, then maybe he had been away from the scene far longer than he realized. He certainly didn't remember the women of his dating years wearing anything like Shir's tribute to hot pink. Her dress barely covered her top and bottom; in addition, it also went sheer around her middle. Everything she was wearing was pink, too. From her fence net stockings and platform heels, to her eyes and even her _hair,_ it was all pink.

"Anyway," Shir continued, "I need your opinion."

"Yes, you should get them augmented," Rudo threw in a joke without hesitation.

"Knock it off, Steiner," Shir ordered as she pinched his arm.

"_Hey,_" Rudo whined.

"Just listen," she said. Rudo sat up and gave her a dramatically attentive expression. Shir was not amused and let him know it by shooting him an evil eye as she continued her speech. "I know you've pretty much retired from the dating scene, but since you've been married before I can at least assume that at one point you were attracted to women. I'm also assuming that because you're older, you're out of that hormonal phase when a guy will drool over anything that breathes. Therefore, as a more mature straight guy, I'd like your opinion on my makeover of Anna."

"'More mature straight guy'? That's the most beautiful thing anyone's ever told me, Ms. Gold. Let's go back to my place tonight, whadd'ya say?" Rudo winked at Shir and took her by the hand.

"Oh for crying out..." Shir fussed as she yanked her hand away. "Damn it, Steiner, just say whether you agree to it or not. And don't say anything stupid to her!"

"Sure, bring out the guardian. What have you done to her, anyway?"

A wry grin played across Shir's face. "You'll see." Shir turned around and called Anna's name. Rudo could see the top of Anna's head peering out from behind the wall next to the glass door. He could also tell that Shir had done something to Anna's hair, as there seemed to be a lot of it piled on top of what little amount of Anna's head was visible. Shir waved for her to come out, prompting the rest of Anna to be silhouetted at the glass door as she emerged from behind the wall.

Shir might have considered Rudo past his prime, but he certainly wasn't dead. He had always considered Anna to have a nicely shaped, athletic body, but what was abundantly clear right now as he got a full view of Anna's figure was that the woman was plain smoking hot. She might not be the kind of leggy sylph modeling agencies preferred, but her curves could be best described as "dangerous." To top it all off, she had the face and long, softly curled blonde hair to go with the figure. Rudo actually found it hard to take his eyes off her as she timidly stepped into the yard, even though her current expression was anything but pleasant.

"Hurry up and say whatever it is you're going to say, Captain," Anna told Rudo brusquely. "I want to go back inside." It wasn't cold out, but she still rubbed her arms as if she felt a chill. She couldn't have appeared more uncomfortable, though that wasn't saying much. Anna never really looked amused by anything, at least not to Rudo's recollection.

In contrast to Shir's dress, which was only opaque in certain strategic locations, Anna's outfit at least avoided being see-through. It was a short, white, formfitting halter neck romper that zipped up the front. Along with the matching patent white boots, voluminous hair, and Anna's usual intimidating demeanor, Rudo thought she looked a bit like a femme fatale from a campy spy movie. He wasn't sure if she was dressed to seduce him, beat the living stuffing out of him, or both. He had to laugh, though, at the irony of a woman as good-looking as Anna who appeared to hate showing herself off. Why did she even agree to this? What was Shir up to?

"Hey, now what's the rush, Guardian?" Rudo asked with a smile. "Looks like you're ready for a fun night on the town!"

Anna did nothing but scowl at Rudo.

"Okay, then," Rudo chuckled. "You look good, though, and you, uh... _match._ That's important, right?"

"Yeah, I think we're done here. Thank you _so much_ for the reassurance," Anna said sarcastically as she turned to leave the back yard.

Shir gave Rudo a quick slap in the shoulder. "I told you not to be stupid!" she scolded.

"Look, Shir, I don't know what you want from me. What was I supposed to say? 'Damn, girl, is it hot out here or is it just you?'"

"God, you are such a geezer," Shir snorted as she shook her head.

"Well, that's what you get for..." Rudo stopped as he noticed Rolf and Kain at the back door. "Oh hey, looks like your boys are back from the bank."

Rudo could already hear Kain clamoring on about something before Rolf even opened the door. Rolf looked tired, like pretty much anyone would after being stuck on an outing with Kain. The wrecker could talk anyone's ear off.

"Uh-huh," Rolf absently answered another question of Kain's as the door slid open. It took him less than a second to lay eyes on Anna and stop cold in his tracks. Kain, lost in what he was telling Rolf, rammed into the blue-haired agent and sent both of them over the step and down to the porch. Anna gasped and ran over to Rolf and Kain, who were now in a pile on the ground.

"Rolf!" Anna blurted as she bent down and helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?"

Rolf was in the odd predicament of being eye-level with her chest as she asked that question. He quickly looked up at her. "I, uh..." At that moment there was no chance of him articulating anything coherent, as he was both avoiding staring at her body and recovering from the shock of Anna's new look.

"Anastasia Aglaia Zirski!" Kain jumped to his feet and howled as he ogled Anna. "I ain't sure what possessed you tah git all dolled up, but you's hotter'n a firecracker lit at both ends!"

Anna groaned as she tried to ignore Kain, attending to Rolf by brushing some dirt off his back.

Rolf, still flustered from falling down, turned his attention to the name Kain had called Anna. "Wow. Is that really your full name? It's so beautif..."

"Hey, ya know whatcha need tuh complete yer outfit?" Kain interrupted, elbowing past Rolf. "Ya need..."

Anna saw Kain reach for her and instinctively grabbed his hand, bending it into his wrist and twisting his arm behind his back. Kain yelped as she locked both of his arms behind him. The utter discomfort of his current position sent him on tip-toes.

"There will be _no touching,_ Joshua Kain. There will also be no discussion of what I 'need' to enhance what I'm currently wearing, and if I hear you call me by my full name again I will make sure you never breed, _understand?_" she angrily hissed into his ear.

"Y'know," Kain gulped, "this here is mighty unpleasant feelin', but part o' me is still enjoyin'..." he was cut off by Anna wrenching his twisted arm. "Ah! Okay, okay. No more funny stuff, promise."

Anna let go and gave him a stern look. "I apologize, but I've been informed by Shir that I must endure your company tonight. I want to establish some ground rules while you're still sober."

"Sheesh, I ain't that bad, sweetheart," Kain said as he straightened his shirt. "If you's comin' with us, you'll be thankin' the Great Light later that I was around, too. Just ask Shir."

"It's true. The man's a dancing machine. Which is nice, since _some people_ refuse to get on the dance floor at all," Shir said, glaring at Rolf.

Rolf shrugged as he glanced at Anna. "Sorry, but I don't dance."

"Good, because neither do I," Anna replied as she sidled up to Rolf. "We can hang out together, then." She flashed him a smile, something she did so infrequently it made Rolf reply in incomprehensible jabber.

Rudo put his hand on his forehead and let out a sigh. "That seals it. I'm going with you all whether you like it or not."

"What for?" Shir asked crossly.

"To save you from yourselves," Rudo answered with a raised eyebrow. "Plus, I expect this evening's events will be too good to pass up."

"Whatever," Shir rolled her eyes. "Can you please put on a different shirt, then? Something that makes you look buff and not... lame?" She eyeballed his threadbare rock concert t-shirt.

"What?" Rudo tugged at his shirt. "You don't like _Espers of Maharu_?"

There was a collective groan from the rest of the group as they headed into Rolf's house, ready take on the club scene in Kueri.


	3. The Intro

Anna could hear the thumping bass inside _Club Casba_ as she and her group jumped to the front of the line, bypassing lists and security. Rolf's party was instantly greeted and ushered into the club thanks to Shir's near celebrity status. Anna hadn't quite thought about that, of Shir and her role as a socialite. Suddenly Anna felt a chill as she realized that she might be more visible than she wanted, since she had planned to disappear at the bar or a booth, hopefully with the only person she really wanted to spend time with, Rolf.

The booming bass gave way to full-on, deafening dance music as the group entered the club and made their way to the main room and bar. Shir hardly knew a stranger; almost everyone the group passed waved, hugged and doted on her, one of Motavia's super elite. She reciprocated with her undeniable charm. She certainly knew how to work a crowd, and Anna grew increasingly uncomfortable with every new introduction.

"I guess this is one of her regular hangouts?" Anna asked Rolf, shouting into his ear to compensate for the noise level.

Rather than answer her right away, Rolf stared her up and down in a most peculiar manner, making Anna even less thrilled about the whole night. It was bad enough that Anna wasn't going to enjoy a low profile in this club, but did Rolf have to make it worse?

Finally Rolf leaned down to her and replied, "Did you know you're glowing?"

Anna glanced down at her white romper. Sure enough, it was fluorescing intensely bright blue under the club's black lights. Anna let out a horrified noise and stormed over to Shir, who had already found her way to the DJ's booth. She was rubbing elbows with the Motavian DJ, someone who was apparently well-known in the industry. However, Anna didn't care two licks about some scruffy DJ when she had been tricked into being a walking glow stick.

"Shir!" Anna bellowed as she grabbed Shir under the arm and jerked her away from her conversation with the DJ. "You didn't tell me I'd be a human flashlight!" she shouted as she tugged at her outfit.

Shir wasn't fazed at all. "Is it a problem?" she shrugged.

Anna fumed as she folded her arms in front of her body. "I look ridiculous! This wasn't a part of the deal!"

Shir gave Anna her trademark smirk, took a second to scan the room, then looked back at the displeased guardian. "Have you looked around the club? Tell me how you're different from anyone else here."

Anna uncrossed her arms and looked sheepishly at people mingling and dancing and noticed how almost each and every one of them had at least a partially fluorescent outfit; most of them were more colorful than Anna's, too. Even Kain, who was already showing off some lively dance moves to a group of giggly female onlookers, appeared to have a green fluorescent pattern on his black shirt, something that wasn't visible under regular lighting. Anna tried to recover from her embarrassment.

"Well," she began, cocking her hips to one side and staring up at the ceiling, "I... guess I'm fine with it. But you should have told me!" She looked at Shir and realized Shir's outfit wasn't glowing like everyone else's. "Hey, wait. What about _your _dress?"

Shir laughed, "Do you really think I'm going to be outdone? Honey, I'm saving my own light show for the right moment." She winked at Anna. Anna had no idea what Shir meant by all that, but the night was still young. Shir usually had a way of keeping something on the back burner just in case she needed to one-up her competition.

Rolf walked over to Anna and Shir and put his arm around Anna. Normally Anna wanted nothing to do with that kind of closeness with a fellow coworker, but right now it felt good to have someone as an ally and potential excuse to make a hasty exit. Shir looked at them and grinned from ear-to-ear; Anna recognized the expression on Shir's face as being self-congratulatory over the success of one of her wily plans.

"Aw, look at you two!" Shir cooed. "I am so proud of my work on you, Anna. You've already won Rolf's heart, I see!"

Rolf looked the other way and cleared his throat nervously. "I'm just here to make sure you treat Anna with some respect, that's all."

Shir rustled Rolf's hair playfully. "Of course, of course. You make sure I..." the devilish expression on her face quickly soured as she stared at something behind Rolf and Anna. "I can't believe it!" she uttered as she pushed passed her friends. "I am going to _kill _that dirty tramp!" She left in a huff, leaving Rolf and Anna to wonder what was going on. They watched her march up to a woman who was hanging all over someone that looked familiar to Rolf.

"Hey, that's the governor's son, Bence!" Rolf exclaimed, recognizing the young man.

"Really? I wonder why Shir cares. Is she after him or something? Is that why she joined our group?" Anna asked as she watched Shir angrily get in the other woman's face. A moment later the young woman began laughing at Shir, who had stormed off and was headed straight for Anna. Anna was about to move out of Shir's way, but was grabbed by the enraged thief and pulled towards the DJ's booth. Anna hadn't seen Shir look so hateful before.

"Turvo!" she shouted at the Motavian DJ. "Kill this song and give me the mic! I'm going to show that hussy who runs the show around here!" Shir tossed two green meseta cards on top of Turvo's sound equipment. The Motavian nodded as he cut off the music and introduced Shir to the crowd. Shir took the microphone and stepped onto the dance floor's uppermost platform. Before continuing, she leaned down to Anna and told her, "If you don't tell me your history within the next two seconds, I'll make one up for you."

Anna was too shocked to speak. "I-I..." she stammered.

"Time's up!" Shir declared as she brought the microphone up to her lips and put her hands in the air. "What's up, Motavia!" she belted out as she fired up the crowd. As she raised her arms into the air, her outfit turned into a fantastic lights display, turning Shir into a kaleidoscope of psychedelic colors.

Anna felt a knot forming in her stomach. "Oh, no," she groaned, clinging to Rolf and desperately hoping that what Shir was about to do wouldn't involve her at all.

"How many people here are fed up with the government?" Shir preached to the raucous crowd. Enthusiastic cheering followed. "Who's ready for a true hero to emerge from the shadows and lead us to freedom?" More cheering ensued.

Anna panicked. She pulled on Rolf's shirt and tried to nudge him out of the crowd with her, but more people piled in behind them and blocked any quick escape. Suddenly Anna saw over most of the crowd a blond crew cut making its way towards them. Rudo had pushed his way through the mass of people just in time.

"What the hell is she doing?" Rudo asked in utter bafflement.

"We don't know, but can you help us out of h..." Rolf began, but it was too late. He felt Anna leave his arms as Shir and some of her audience pulled her onto the platform. Any attempts to retrieve Anna were blocked, as Rolf and Rudo were vastly outnumbered. The best they could do was push to the front near the platform's edge.

"I want everyone to meet our savior!" Shir gestured at Anna, who was frozen in shock. "This, my friends, is Algol's long lost heir to the throne. Meet Princess Anastasia Landale!"

The crowd went berserk with their cheering. The DJ made sure to contribute to the entire fiasco by adding lights and sound effects. Rolf tried to hop onto the platform but was batted around too much by the masses. Even Rudo couldn't help as he, too, was pushed and tossed around by surrounding bodies. Before Shir could talk into the microphone again, Anna began yelling as she shoved her finger angrily into Shir's chest. Rolf noticed Shir leaning into Anna's ear to tell her something; the look of horror on Anna's face turned to one of defeat as she slowly nodded her head. Shir grabbed Anna by the hand and held their arms high in the air.

Rolf heard Kain's distinct whooping sound coming from behind him. "This here is the most excitin' thing that done happened in Kueri in years!" Kain cheered. Rolf couldn't believe that even Kain was caught up in this nonsense Shir had created.

"Are you kidding?" Rolf asked indignantly as he turned around to Kain. "The moment Anna leaves that platform, she'll be mauled!"

Kain patted Rolf on the back. "You ain't seen Shir work her magic, have ya?" he gave Rolf a nod and pointed at Shir and her trippy outfit.

Rolf wondered how it was that Kain, who had come from the dregs of society, seemed to know so much about one of Motavia's wealthiest individuals. He turned his eyes to Shir, who was shushing the crowd so she could continue.

"Now, listen up, Motavia," Shir addressed the crowd as she gestured for them to calm down. "If you want to know more about the princess and her plans for Algol, you must come to me, Shilka Helene Isadora Rebinia Gold, first! She won't speak to anyone directly, since she just came out of hiding. Be sure to sign the waiting list for the Dragon Room if you want to meet her!"

The mob on the dance floor scattered as they headed towards the bouncers at the Dragon Room, making a strong enough air current that it felt like wind to the only people remaining on the floor, Rolf's group. Rolf reached his hands up to help Anna down from the platform. She looked completely diminished as she fell into his arms.

"Anna, why did you agree to all of that?" Rolf asked, concerned for his friend.

"I'll explain when the night is over," she replied in a humiliated voice as she turned towards the bar. "Right now, I need a drink or five."


	4. The Job

"Call me 'Princess' one more time and I'll dump that pilsner over your head," Anna threatened Rudo, who had been antagonizing her ever since Shir had turned the golden-haired guardian into long-lost royalty.

After entertaining club-goers for the last half hour in the Dragon Room, Anna found refuge at the bar sitting in between Rolf and Rudo. Both men were very plain-clothed for a night out, which suited Anna, as she was fine with the rest of the club assuming they were her bodyguards. Rolf was wearing a white, button-down shirt and black trousers, and Rudo… well, he looked a little more threatening in his black t-shirt, gray cargo pants and black tanker boots. It was probably as casual without being scruffy as Rudo ever got.

Rudo leaned in Anna's direction and nudged her playfully. "Your wish is my command, Your Highness," he teased through his chuckling. Anna glared back at him.

"C'mon, Rudo," Rolf spoke up, "leave poor Anna alone already. It was bad enough Shir did this to her, so…"

Rudo interrupted, "Yeah, about Shir's antics: Do you really think Anna would put up with this just for the hell of it?" he asked Rolf skeptically. He turned towards Anna, and as he brought his pint glass to his lips he asked her, "There's something in this for you, isn't there?"

Anna looked down at her drink and didn't reply. She knew she didn't have to, that everyone was suspicious about the reasons why she would let Shir dress her up and create such a wild story about her past. Anna had been soundly played by Shir, and now she was regretting the whole deal. New slashers? What was she thinking, anyway? With what she was being paid by Central Command it wouldn't have taken that long to acquire new equipment, anyway.

She wasn't even sure why she had agreed to even more meseta after Shir dragged her onto that platform. Anna tried to figure out why she was allowing this, thinking it might have something to do with growing up poor and quite possibly the need to try socializing again after certain incidents in her recent past, but she had just finished her third glass (or maybe it was her fourth) of something the bartender called an "Amber Eye," which seemed equal parts rum and more rum. Anna felt her thought processes already giving in to the effects of alcohol.

Suddenly she felt the urge to laugh. This was all ridiculous. _Really _ridiculous, but there was nothing left to do but ride out the charade. No one but the people she worked with knew who she really was; why not be a skanky celebrity for a night? Anna repeated that thought in her mind: The lost princess of Algol, dressed to within an inch of decency, sitting at a bar and quickly becoming inebriated. Well, at least it was interesting. For the first time that evening Anna smiled at herself, and the more she thought about what she had done, that urge to laugh finally became reality and she found herself rolling in her own hearty laughter.

The two men eyeballed her like she had lost her mind. Rolf was especially worried about Anna. It was partly because he was used to protecting something, namely Nei, from the general ills of society. Anna was filling that role comfortably for Rolf tonight, since Nei had gone to stay with Hugh and his biology-loving parents, all of whom were completely fascinated by Nei. However, there was a much bigger reason why Rolf felt protective of Anna this evening, and every time he thought about it he quickly tried to conjure up some other random thought instead.

"Uh, Anna?" Rolf asked gingerly as Anna continued laughing. "Are you okay?" She finally stopped long enough to attempt to explain herself.

"Oh, quit worrying about me, Rolf," she leaned into him playfully and rested her chin on his shoulder. Rolf felt a little hot and uncomfortable with Anna touching him. He caught a whiff of her hair and skin as well, and that wasn't making things any easier, either. He pushed her away gently, smiling awkwardly at her.

"I-I'm not worried," his voice stuttered and cracked. He fussed with his clothes in an attempt to regain his composure. "Why would I be worried? You're a guardian; you know how to take care of yourself." He picked up his drink and kept it near his lips, only sipping it occasionally, just to keep himself occupied.

"Pfft," Anna let out in dismissal. "You've been following me around all evening. So has Rudo, but I think that's because he just wants to see what happens to me tonight."

"Can't argue with that, Princess," confirmed Rudo as he waved for the bartender to bring him another pint.

"See?" Anna said to Rolf as she wagged a finger at Rudo. "But you, Rolf... you think I need your protection, huh?"

"I..."

"Don't argue. I'm not complaining, I mean, look at me!" Anna pulled at her outfit, laughing again. "I don't know what got into me! Why would I _ever _agree to wear something like this? It glows! It barely covers my ass! _It_ _zips up the front! _What for?"

"Easy access?" Rudo chimed in as he took another swig of his beer.

Rudo's off-color comment caused Rolf to spit out the drink he had just taken. A nearby employee frowned at Rolf as she let out a disgusted sigh, reached under the bar and emerged with a towel. She gave Rolf a dirty look as she mopped up the bar around him. Rolf, embarrassed, muttered "sorry" a few times to the displeased waitress.

All Anna could do was continue laughing. She even surprised herself by joining in one of Rudo's jokes for a change. She barely got along with the man, but either she was too drunk or she had finally come to the realization that she hadn't given him a fair chance. That would be typical, Anna thought, of her being overly judgmental and mistrusting. _Shir, you sly devil, _Anna thought to herself. _You knew I'd let my guard down tonight._

A voice from behind the three comrades cleared its throat. They all turned in the direction of the interruption.

"Um, hi," a meekly voiced woman in her early 20s addressed the group, specifically Anna. "Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, greetings, Your Highness," the young woman corrected herself, addressing Anna more formally and bowing. Anna rolled here eyes; she thought she heard Rudo chuckle.

"Just Anna is fine," Anna sighed. "What is it?"

The young woman tilted her head bashfully and shrugged her shoulders. "I-I was wondering... well, um..." she leaned in closer to Anna and whispered, "Is he off-duty soon?" She was pointing a finger at Rudo, who raised a suspicious eyebrow. He shrugged his shoulders as an indication he hadn't been in on the whisper. Anna smirked and sat up straight and proud.

"Why yes, in fact, I have just relieved him of his duties for the night," she spoke authoritatively, all the while grinning at Rudo.

Rudo squirmed. "What are you talk..."

"May I offer his assistance to you and your friends?" Anna asked as she gestured to the tightly-clustered group of six or seven college-age women standing a short distance from the bar, all of whom let out little gasps and giggles as Rudo immediately spun around to find out what Anna was talking about.

He turned back to Anna, incredulity glued to his face. "Why you little..."

"Insolence!" Anna interrupted in a bellow, pointing a finger at the shocked hunter. "I shall not tolerate it, lest you care to find yourself on the streets again!"

Rudo looked back at the group of females again; his glance was met with more shy giggles. "Oh, for crying out loud," he griped as he rubbed his brow. "What in Motavia do they want, anyway?"

Rolf leaned over Anna towards Rudo and laughed, "You!"

"But..." Rudo began protesting. He stopped short and threw his hands up in defeat. "Oh, what the hell. I suppose I should feel lucky that a half-dozen good-looking femme-types want to hang out with me," he uttered as he hopped down from the bar.

"Yes!" Anna and Rolf replied in unison.

The women all looked extremely pleased, hopping with excitement and letting out high-pitched squeals as Rudo headed towards them; he cringed slightly at their over-exuberance. Eventually he was surrounded by the group, so that Anna and Rolf could only see his head above the mass of bodies moving towards an oversized corner booth. Anna shook her head and sighed as she watched the group disappear behind the back of the seat.

"It's never that easy the other way around," she lamented.

"What do you mean?" Rolf asked quizzically.

Anna turned to Rolf, leaning an elbow into the bar and propping her head in her hand. "Those girls were interested in Rudo because he looks like a hunter. He's not dressed like the other men here and he's obviously older, too. My jobs have always been dating liabilities. Sure, I could come to the club dressed like this every weekend and probably get some interest based on looks alone, but the instant it goes past the physical to discuss life and careers, all of a sudden it's, 'Nice meeting you; see you around!' and a quick retreat to find some pixie with a job men can handle, like a teleport station attendant." Anna suddenly looked away from Rolf, embarrassed for complaining about something personal, and fidgeted with the plastic stirrer sticking out of her drink. After a few quiet seconds, she felt Rolf rub her shoulder.

"You can't really find a meaningful relationship in a place like this, anyway," he sympathized.

"I know, I know," she sighed in understanding. "Although, it'd be nice, just once, not to be judged by my occupation."

"Well," Rolf said as he got down from the bar stool and held out a hand to Anna, "what if someone judged you _positively _on your career choice? Would that, uh..." he cleared his throat. "Would that make a difference?"

Anna warmly smiled back at Rolf and took his hand. "Of course," she replied as her feet hit the ground. Rolf put an arm around Anna and led her to a more comfortable and secluded spot.

* * *

_Next chapter: I have no idea, but the story isn't over yet. Hopefully I'll update it sooner than three months!_


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